Hi! I’m Sarah Jefford, an IVF Mum, egg donor, surrogate and family and surrogacy lawyer.
Welcome to the Surrogacy and Donor Conception Blog, with posts about surrogacy, donor conception, laws, news items, and my personal experiences as a donor and surrogate. You can scroll through the posts, search by category or keyword below.
Will the Surrogate Ask For Money?
Will the surrogate ask for money? We know that surrogacy is altruistic in Australia. That means that payment of any type, or a reward or material benefit, is illegal. That includes cash payments as well as large gifts [...]
Lawyer’s Weekly Women in Law Awards 2019
I am beyond proud and excited to be named as a finalist in the Lawyer's Weekly Women in Law Awards, for both Thought Leader of the Year and Sole Practitioner of the Year for 2019. I am humbled [...]
Care Package Ideas for Surrogates and Egg Donors
Care Package Ideas for Surrogates and Egg Donors During a recent egg donation cycle, my lovely friend and recipient gave me an enormous box labelled 'Sarah's Donor Cycle Care Package.' Thinking it was probably a box of chocolates [...]
Sperm Donor Agreements
Sperm Donor Agreements Are you considering growing your family with the help of a sperm donor? There are a number of options, and it is important to obtain legal advice about the implications, your rights and responsibilities and [...]
Surrogacy, Medicare and Centrelink
Surrogacy, Medicare and Centrelink Big questions for birth parents and intended parents - who is eligible for Centrelink's Paid Parental Leave, and will the parents be able to access Medicare benefits for the baby? As with all things [...]
Birth Certificates and Surrogacy: Recognition or Erasure?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about birth certificates, and donor conception and surrogacy, after attending the AFCC Conference in Sydney and listening to many donor-conceived people speak about their experiences and identity. What is a birth certificate? [...]
Single Parent Surrogacy
Single Parent Surrogacy Are you a single intended parent considering surrogacy to grow your family? The good news is that mostly, there are no barriers to single intended parents entering into a surrogacy arrangement in Australia or overseas. [...]
Will the Surrogate Keep the Baby?
One of the first questions asked by intended parents considering surrogacy in Australia is "What if she wants to keep the baby?" And one of the first questions asked by a surrogate and her partner is "What if [...]
Egg Donor Agreements
Egg Donor Agreement Are you considering growing your family with the help of an egg donor and thinking of having an agreement between you? Many families grow with the help of an egg donor, whether it's a clinic-recruited [...]
Best Practice Surrogacy
Surrogacy has been a headline again this week, with Foreign Correspondent covering surrogacy in the Ukraine. Unfortunately, rarely when it is a headline is it a positive story, and my heart broke for the women, babies and intended [...]
Surrogacy Pregnancy and Birth Planning Package
Surrogacy Pregnancy and Birth Package If you and your team are planning a surrogacy birth, you will be keen to make sure your healthcare provider is sensitive and responsive to the dynamics and needs of your team. Whilst [...]
Co-Parenting Arrangements
There are many ways to grow a family, and co-parenting is a creative option. Whilst I primarily assist with surrogacy and donor arrangements, I am increasingly receiving enquiries from parties seeking to enter into a co-parenting arrangement. This [...]
Surrogacy as a Gay Dad
Pursuing surrogacy as a gay dad. Are you considering surrogacy as a single or partnered gay dad? Gay dads are growing in numbers around Australia as they pursue surrogacy to grow their families. The media is buzzing with [...]
One Year On
One Year On - January 2019 Surro-baby, Darcey, turned one last weekend. Her dads threw her a party, of course, and like all first birthdays, it was more of an anniversary for the parents than it was a [...]
Surrogacy as Motherhood: The Inalienable Right to Choose
I spoke at the Melbourne Law School's Health Law and Ethics Network seminar this week, on the subject of surrogacy and ethics. Below is my speech. Thank you for having me and giving me the opportunity to speak [...]
Surrogacy in Australia
Surrogacy in Australia is regulated in each State, which means there are no uniform laws that cover surrogacy across the country. Surrogacy laws in all States follow the same basic principles: The Intended Parents must not be able [...]
The Surrogacy Process in Australia
The Surrogacy Process in Australia is similar in all States, and applies to all arrangements regardless of how the parties know each other or their relationship with each other. Before proceeding past step one, you should find out [...]
South Australia Surrogacy Law Reform Update
Surrogacy South Australia - Law Reform Update, November 2019 South Australia has reviewed its surrogacy laws and now passed the Surrogacy Bill - you can read the full Bill here. The Bill has passed both Houses and awaits [...]
Do Surrogates Get Paid in Australia?
Do Surrogates Get Paid in Australia? The number one question that every surrogate is asked is "how much do you get paid?" And whilst we expect the question, and can even understand why someone may ask, the question [...]
When Surrogacy Isn’t Really Surrogacy
The surrogacy laws and other laws surrounding children, adoption and parentage is complex. There are several laws that cover children, and the Family Law Act dedicates almost 200 pages to clauses regarding children’s issues. There’s also many cases [...]
Why Aren’t Surrogacy Agreements Enforceable?
Somewhere in the Top 10 Questions about Surrogacy is: Why aren’t surrogacy agreements enforceable? The answer is both simple and complex, and comes back to two primary concepts. Firstly, the rights and best interests of the child are [...]